


The Moment I Saw You

by eccentrick



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Armin meddles with them, Dorks in Love, Hanji just wants their fave grump to be happy, Library AU, M/M, Meddling Hanji, Pining, Trans Armin, and eren actually likes them, awkward bbs, cheesy amounts of pining, eren also thinks his job is boring except for when levi visits:), eren thinks levi has a nice ass, levi is also really bad with pick up lines, levi is really REALLY awkward like OH CRAP, non-binary hanji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eccentrick/pseuds/eccentrick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is a librarian assistant who has his eye on a cute patron. </p><p>Levi is an awkward uni student who keeps returning to a small town library for a cute librarian assistant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Moment I Saw You

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day 2k16!
> 
> I'm genderfluid myself, and I tried my best to keep any and all trans details accurate since I don't bind at the moment. If there's something inaccurate, please tell me (gently because I am shy soul). 
> 
> Thank you, Jazz, for reading this mess and editing it. You're my bro4lyfe~~

To be perfectly honest, Eren was tired of that damn bell long ago. You know, the kind that was attached to a door to signal the arrival of customers, or in this case, Weird Library People.  
He had been working here for less than six months, the days dragging on and on like it could have been twice as long at the least. Eren wasn't exactly in his element here, but he needed the money that came with the job, so to complain would be to bitch about what put food on the table. (Mostly ramen and anything instant since he only had a junior librarian wage, but it filled their bellies.)

The brunet didn't quite see the appeal. Yes, he knew some people enjoyed reading -- he lived with Armin for fuck's sake -- it was just _this particular_ library. It had the annoying bell, for one, and most of the bookshelves were filled with informative text, almost no fiction. And most of the "informative" text was religious of some sort, mostly autobiographies of how someone had found God and now their lives were saved. Well just _hail_ _Jesus then._ Damn, it was so repetitive.

The one saving grace of this tiny library in this tiny backwash town was the LGBTQ+ section. More close to a shelf, really. It had a few books on gender, or lack thereof, some on sexuality, or the lack thereof, and more than a few on accepting yourself. That falling into any category of the acronym wasn't a flaw. Eren had been eyeing them since he first had to re-shelve that section.

And, it did help that some serious hot piece of ass always went to that section.

The person, he assumed male though he knew he should ask for their pronouns, was always so quiet coming in that Eren could barely hear the bell ring to announce their presence. They always went to the queer section straight away, not even bothering to glance at the checkout desk, as if Eren was going to call the cops on them like the other few poor souls who went to that section did. That's what living in a small conservative town did to you.

The short individual with dreamy eyes would shamelessly present his items to Eren, should he be the one to check him out (and Eren did _check him out,_ if you know what he means), displaying their very gay selection. The first ones had been on gender identity, which was why Eren had assumed that this Levi guy (he checked out their books so of course he knew the attractive person's name) might not have the same gender as their biological one, that maybe this person wasn't cisgendered.

The second time they came in, they got all the books on sexuality they had. It took the person less than a week before they brought the books back, a short amount of time considering the number of books. Maybe they hadn't read them after all.

That was when Eren noticed, as he was leafing through the pages to look for any damage per protocol, the little sticky notes on certain pages. The bright colors offset the stark white pages, and Eren cursed to himself for not noticing sooner. He cursed to himself even more when the brunet found himself checking out the same books that they did, sticky notes and all. Jeez, he was acting like a stalker. But he couldn't stop himself, since he had finally found someone of kin, someone besides his siblings, who were both queer _somehow_. Even if this person ended up not liking his cis male self, they could still make a good friend.

So, Eren would lock up the library, books in hand, and head home. Armin would be surprised and slightly jealous when he came home smelling like old books and dust. It wasn't the brunet's fault that the blond had been "overqualified" to work at their local library, and Eren should really get some award for not being too insulted about what that said about himself as he was hired right away. Armin, the person who was basically his brother, would look at the books with a pleased smile, but wouldn't say anything. He was glad that the smaller male had finally believed Eren when he said he loved his little _brother_ as much as he had loved the person he had known as his little _sister_.

Dinner was an informal ordeal, each taking turns cooking the ramen, adding cheap spices here and there to make it a bit different.

"Eren! I told you I didn't like things too spicy!" Armin would say when it was his turn to cook. 

Eren would always answer, "Oh, come on, it's good for you."

It was a routine, and a comfort.

After they finished cleaning the measly dishes, the brunet would escape to his room, big enough to have a bed and a vanity, the books waiting for him. He could see where every colorful sticky note was placed with care, little notes on almost every one.

On page 112 of the book about gender (this chapter was specifically about non-binary and other nongenders) was a bright green note was "So that's how SG feels", and on page 64 of the sexuality book, right under a paragraph about demisexuality was another note written in a short hand Eren couldn't understand for the life of him.

His eyes were getting grainy by the time he was finished with one book, glancing at the clock to see 1 AM in stark red block letters. Damn, no wonder he was tired.

Scratching his ass, he made his way to the bathroom, but stopped short when he heard the water already running. He knew it had to be Armin, but also that something had to be wrong, 'cuz Armin turned into a pumpkin at 10 pm. Avoiding the creaking floorboards, the brunet made his way towards the bathroom, light flooding from the semi open door. This couldn't be good.

He wasn't ready to see what was behind the door. Armin was sitting on the edge of the bath, arms around his waist, a sign of discomfort and insecurity. His chest was free from its confines, a slight swell under the large t shirt... but what really worried him was the ace bandages unraveled on the worn linoleum floor.

"Armin!"

The blond jumped out of his skin, blue eyes wide in surprise. Good, Eren had caught something he wasn't supposed to see.

"Ah, Eren! It's late, and you have the early shift tomorrow!"

Eren blinked, "Wait, I do? Shit th- wait, don't get off subject here, Armin. What are those?!"

Armin glanced at the offending bandages that were subject to Eren's glare.

"You know what they are, Eren." He sounded so sad, Eren felt his eyes burn. He blinked any sign of tears away, because it wasn't _his_ pain.

"I told you I would try to buy you some binders soon, okay? Just... please don't do that, ace bandages are the worst for your chest. Wait." Eren went to Armin's room, digging around in his old underwear drawer, for _legit reasons_ , and when he found what he was looking for he hurried back.

"Here." He handed the two sports bras (from less than six months ago so they should still fit) to his brother. "I'm glad I just read that book, or I'd be shit outta luck. These won't work as well as binders, but they're much safer than ace bandages."

Armin bit his lip, glancing at Eren, before he let out a little smile. "Thanks, Eren. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that."

"Don't wear those more than eight hours, okay? And it should be safe to wear two at the same time." Eren looked away. "We'll get you a real binder soon, okay? But if I catch you with wearing an ace bandage again, I will call Mikasa and she will discipline you!"

"Yes, _Mom_. And here I thought Mikasa was a helicopter parent."

"Want me to call her now, you know she'll quit doing whatever lesbian thing she's probably doing to kick some sense into you."

Armin fake shivered, shaking his head rapidly at the thought of their foster sister coming to rain wrath upon them, mumbling, "I never thought the tables would turn."  
_________________________

Apparently Armin, the smart ass, was right about his early shift. Eren woke up with his eyes refusing to open and his neck bent in what had to be a grotesque position. He grumbled the whole time he got ready, trying to be quiet for Armin, but still in disbelief that someone would show up to the shitty public library this early in the goddamned morning.

He went to the bathroom to take a leak and saw the offending bandages still on the bathroom where they were left last night. Picking them up, he hurriedly hid them in his old pair of shoes, knowing that Armin would never dare to look in the smelly hunks of junk. When he was half way to the library, he realized that one of them might actually need them for an injury, and his old shoe is probably not the most sanitary place for it, but hell, he'd rather have to buy a new one next time he injured himself than risk Armin using them again.

Locking his bike in place, Eren clocked in for another boring day at work. He hoped that the Levi person would show up again, since they came at such irregular times that Eren could never keep track.

Five hours, a soccer mom and her ten fucking kids, a nice old lady with a cat in her purse, and a scene kid later, all Eren wanted to do was clock out. He no longer held out any hope for Levi to show up. It was way past the time they usually showed up, so the brunet cried his gay tears quietly. Not in front of his dumb ass boss, mind you.

Half an hour till he could leave, the bell rang out. Sighing, Eren got ready to check out the person should they get done anytime soon. Which they should be, since they cut straight to the self help books, as he was the only person there that was lowly enough to check people out.

Twenty minutes later, the person finally made their way up, glasses still wet from the downpour outside, hair that was already messy now totally falling out of their ponytail. And they were a _they_ , their pin on their damp shirt said so.

Handing Eren their card, he quickly swept it through to the library's system. He gave a slightly startled look when he saw that it was Levi's card, side-eyeing this new person.

Their contents were even more intriguing. One book was on... puns? While the other was a parody of a self help book, one he didn't even knew the library had, titled _How To Get Your Shit Together - Guide To Being A Half Put Together Gay Adult._ Well, maybe it wasn't a fake self help book. Eren should probably read it.

"Hiya," they said, grinning as their glasses glinted in the shitty lighting of the library. "You're Eren?" The tone of their voice spoke that they knew exactly who he was, and he was starting to get creeped out.

"Yes...?" This was the part where he was horrible. He didn't have the best social skills, that's for sure. Top it off with the person who may or may not be Levi's significant other, and probably the person they was reading those books for. Shit, he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. This time he might really cry those rainbow tears.

What he really wanted to know is how did these two go without his notice in such a small and "close knit" community? And no, he definitely wasn't being bitter.

They mumbled something that Eren couldn't quite catch and fixed their glasses in a manor that Rico, their strict foster mother, would have admired. Mikasa took after her sometimes.

"Uh, excuse me..." Eren tried to think of a gender neutral version of ma'am or sir but couldn't think of any at the top of his head, even after reading that book last night. "May I ask why you have Levi's library card? For, uh, library purposes."

"Ooh. He couldn't make it himself, so I, being the wonderful friend I am, offered to do it for him!" They grinned. "Ah! And my name is Hanji!"

"Eren," he said as he shook their outstretched hand. The only thing he really caught was that Levi was a he and possibly single. Hopefully gay and single. Or bi/pan, Eren doesn't discriminate.

Eren rang up the books, seeing that they had more books than he had thought. He cringed when he saw some of the pages had stains and other... questionable substances and made a mental note to notify another librarian (note: not Sasha). Seeing a similar title, Eren gave it back to Hanji.

"Levi already got this book." This was the book on genders.

"Really?"

Eren nodded, eyes widening when he realized that Hanji was practically glowing.

"That grumpy grouch, how can he be so mean to me and then do something this sweet?"

"Eh?" Eren was so not being nosy, nope. He was just being polite, and Hanji seemed like an interesting person. Wanting them to elaborate had nothing to do with his burning curiosity about how sweet Levi could be, _not at all_.

"Well, I just came out to him recently. When I told him, you should've seen his face, he didn't even know what non-binary was! Haha! Anyway, he still respected my pronouns, he just always got this constipated look on his face. I've been noticing it less and less, and I guess I know why now!"

Eren thought back to some of the notes, most written in a short hand he couldn't decipher, but one he remembered distinctly. _So this is how SG feels._

SG? That didn't make any sense, since their first name was Hanji, unless the initials was from their dead name? If so, Eren didn't think Levi would use it.

Eren shook his head, ringing up the last of their books, some of which he _really_ _hoped_ weren't Levi's. Especially the one on dissection, because Eren saw that the book had way too many _in detail_ diagrams of the insides of many animals, some of which were once cute.

Hanji waved goodbye excitedly, looking like they were about to implode from unused energy. Eren wondered how Hanji and Levi knew each other.

___________________

"Guess who I just saw." The voice sang out. 

Levi groaned, startled by Hanji's abrupt appearance. Or more like they slammed the door open in one of their fits of madness. If they were, there was nothing the black haired college student could do to stop them.

Levi, a history major, had been stuck with Hanji since his first year. Hanji, science major, history minor, was grouped with him for a certain project, which they aced. But, in payment for that aced project, Levi was forever stuck with this mess of a mad scientist. They just wouldn't leave him alone, and Levi pretended it bothered him. It did, on some degree, because Levi reluctantly let them get close.

When Levi first saw Hanji, they were a very messy woman, one who once wore just a sports bra to class because they were late. Most people in class thought that they, Levi and Hanji, were together, since the smart but hopelessly air-headed Hanji was very clingy. But, even if Levi wanted to be with Hanji, it would be useless, since they have no romantic urges at all. Levi could possibly understand that. But the short man was surprised by their out of the blue confession about their gender, and he was left adrift in confusion. The library in the college town didn't really have much on gender and romantic orientation (he trusted books much more than some Internet articles that could be written by anyone), so Levi had to go to this hole in the wall library that had a small collection of what he was looking for. He never stopped visiting that particular library since.

"Hey, hey, Levi, you listening?" Hanji pestered.

"No."

"Oh, quit being such a grouch. Should I be calling you the cookie monster now, since all I think you come over here for is those chocolate chip cookies I make." There was that annoying teasing tone that Levi hated.

"That doesn't make much sense, and you should come up with better insults, Shitty Glasses."

Hanji took their glasses off to clean them with the hem of their shirt. Good, maybe some of Levi's tendencies were rubbing off on them. "Says the one who tells poop jokes!"

"We promised not to speak of this." The smaller grumbled, looking away when Hanji sat next to him on their shitty couch. That's what you get when you're a student teacher and never gets paid.

"Anyway, come cuddle, and we can get back to watching Kamisama Hajimemashita while you tell Hanji-san about Eren's sweet ass." Hanji beckoned.

Levi mentally face palmed. Hanji had insisted on using honorifics with him when convenient after they learned he was, like, a quarter Japanese. He thinks they just like how some of them are gender neutral.

"Ew, why would I cuddle with you? Also, I already told you I'm not finishing some shitty shojo anime with you. And I never said Eren's ass was sweet, since I've never actually seen it."

"You know you like it, Levi, don't deprive yourself of such simple pleasures," Hanji protested, their pretentious finger pointing at him, all while smirking knowingly. "And, you didn't deny liking Eren, is that acceptance I hear in your tone?"

This was the time that Levi usually booked it out of Hanji's tiny apartment, like a bat out of hell, but something rooted him to the spot on the couch. He wasn't sure why he wanted to confide in Hanji, he knew they would blow this all out of proportion like they always do and embarrass him. That's just how it was. But, Levi admitted, he was at a loss of what to do.

Yes, all of this was just a simple, shallow crush. He had seen Eren and thought he was cute, and it didn't help that he was always there when Levi visited, which he did more than he really actually needed. He was running out of books to check out, he would have to start getting books on history, his major, when their the library's collection was really small and unhelpful. But he couldn't just go there and get nothing, right? He already looked like a stalker.

And Eren seemed like an overall good person, he always smiled at Levi, a blinding smile, eyes closed, face completely open and unguarded. But, Levi liked it best when his eyes were open, one eye more blue with green and brown dots, the other the opposite. Those eyes would look at him like they were sharing a secret, like a co-conspirator even.

Or maybe Levi was crazy and his stalking tendencies were getting out of hand. That was always a possibility.

He felt the weight of Hanji leaning on his side, forcing himself to sigh. He didn't particularly dislike Hanji's clinging, but if he didn't act somewhat pissed about it, it'd only get worse.

"No, but seriously, Levi, you should really try to ask Eren out."

Levi clicked his tongue at Hanji. "Do we even know if he's legal? I don't date kids."

"Levi, you don't really date anyone..."

"Shut up, shit for brains!"

"Awww, I didn't mean it as something bad! You just never felt the need to go out with anyone," Hanji cooed, "Humans learn by example, and you really haven't ever had the best examples, me not being interested in any romance and with your shitty dad. Also, Erwin isn't a good example, don't take from him."

"Like I'd use Titanic Eyebrows for example, he and his shitty love triangle with that Rat Nile and his girl."

For a few beats all that could be heard in Hanji's small flat was the dripping of the faucet a few feet away and the sound of shojo anime narration in the background.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, lol."

Levi side glanced Hanji. "Did you just say the abbreviation for laugh out loud in that sentence?"

"Pft, no, nope. You must being hearing things." Hanji  looked genuinely embarrassed for once, making the black haired college student laugh softly.

"To answer your question, yes, your crush is completely legal." Hanji hurriedly said, coughing not to subtly to hide their embarrassment.

Damn, he was running out of reasons to not get himself out there. Yes, he knew this was a romantic endeavor. Did he want to be rejected? No.

And, now that he thought about it...

"We can't even assume he isn't straight."

"I knew you would say that!" Hanji smirked, delighted. Why they would be delighted at his possible complete failure, he didn't know. Knowing them, they probably have some crazy theory or idea floating through that empty head of their's.

Levi wasn't stupid; if a gay guy asked a straight guy out, he would most likely be rejected very harshly, because said straight guy needs to assure himself (and others) of his straightness. Especially around these parts, where Eren worked, too, where being gay or not cis wasn't accepted. He didn't want to put Eren in danger. Also, what made Levi think that even if Eren had any inclination towards guys, that he'd want to go out with Levi in particular?

"Be more confident! And I know a little birdy who told me he is definitely not straight~" 

He grimaced. "No offense, but I don't exactly trust any of your intel, since I have no idea where and how you get it."

They ran their hand through the rat's nest that was their hair, after they twiddled their thumbs.

Hanji's smile darkened. "The little bird wishes to stay anonymous."

__________________

They, he and Armin, sat in the kitchen while their meal simmered, the delicious smell of Something Not Ramen floating through the air. It was homemade curry, something both of them knew how to make, but could never really afford all the ingredients. And it was something they always did together while they still lived with Rico.

Dishing up the fluffy white rice and savory curry, the brunet set both plates on their modest table, smiling at his brother doing science homework.

"Did you hear from Mikasa lately?" Armin spoke, not looking up from his work.

Eren sighed. "Yes, she and Annie are studying for their mid-terms, though from what I heard it wasn't the only thing they had been doing."

"Ew." Armin's nose wrinkled like a bunny. He dipped his spoon into the curry, taking a bite without looking at the plate. "You know... you should be doing that, too." The blond said quietly.

"What, you mean midterms?"

He finally looked up, his eyes guilty.

"Yeah, you should be in college, not looking after me."

Not this again. Armin was a fucking masochist, Eren swears. The boy, for all his brains and wit, always seemed to come up with the stupidest conclusions when it came to Eren and himself. He thought that Eren was being held back by him, that the blond was the ultimate anti-christ or something. Yes, Eren dropped out of school. Yes, the decision had something to do with Armin. No, it wasn't anyone's fault besides the state's.

Eren slammed his fist onto the table, silverware and plates clanking in distress. Armin jumped in surprise.

"Armin, you're a fucking genius! Get a grip, figure it out, it isn't about you! And, we both know I'm not a school kind of guy, so don't worry about it!"

"But-!"

"Let's talk about something else, we have curry for god's sake!"

The suffocating silence ensued, guilt heavy in the air. Their life wasn't roses and daisies, but they have always had each other, and that's all he needed. Maybe he was simple-minded, but that's how he thought.

 _Well, I could go for getting one thing. Or more like_ , person.

Clearing his throat, Armin went back to his science homework, smiling mischievously. "So, you seem to be looking forward to work now."

"Well, it pays."

"That's not what I mean." Armin's eyebrows wiggled suggestively, his blue eyes side-eyeing the brunet.

"Whatever do you mean?" Shit. How did Armin know? Was he that obvious?

 _"I_ talked to Mikasa too, and she said that you've quit complaining about being single. Meaning, you have your eye on someone. Me, knowing that you spend most of your time at work, have concluded that it is probably a fellow librarian, or, a regular who stops by often."

"Arrrrmmmin, _stop_." 

"With your wince of disgust when I said fellow librarian, my guess is a regular." Dammit, Sasha, and your stupid crumbs!

"Armin! Stop with this Sherlock shit." Eren growled in frustration.

"What? It's not too hard to figure out. And, I do have someone's help with some of these conclusions."

"Armin Louise Arlert, stop right fucking now!"

"Drama queen."

Armin glared at Eren, huffing at the sound of his middle name. If stares could kill, Eren would be cold on the floor. The rest of the dinner was punctuated with sounds of spoons on their plates, and pages flipping. They weren't angry at each other, they just knew when to stop.

He grimaced, the curry was too salty.

________________

Eren thought of his and Armin's dinner discussion the next morning as he entered the library, and realized he was right. Eren liked Levi, he had it real bad, and he barely knew the guy! Instead of wallowing behind the clerk desk, he should take action. And soon.

So, he decided, if Levi showed up here today, or if not today, whenever he did come back, he would try to ask Levi out on a date. That's all there was too it, really. Jeez, he was such a fucking kid when it came to such bizarre feelings. But he promised himself he wouldn't back down, and even if Levi did turn him down, then at least he could be satisfied that he tried and move on.

Maybe Eren was growing up, after all.

_____________________

The first time Levi had seen Eren, he felt like he was punched in the gut. In a good way. He was attractive, and seeing how smitten the old lady he had been currently attending to, he was charming. The boy just had this warm aura about him.

He was nervous, as he always was with new people, because, well, he wasn't the most socially equipped person. Levi wouldn't even have Hanji if it wasn't for their persistence in being a perpetual safety hazard and nuisance (he pretended not to be thankful). He was awkward, he knew this. It even took him a lot of courage to go up when he had made his selection, a brand new never opened book on gender identity.

Eren had smiled at him brightly, like he probably did to everyone. Levi felt comfortable when Eren didn't ask any casual questions like most clerks do, only a comfortable silence had surrounded them. It was really a mundane encounter, but it only succeeded to remind Levi how gay he actually was (he was _really_ gay).

Levi was gruff like he always was with everyone with his departure, if not totally out of place. Later, as always, he agonized over his every action, every glance at Eren's wonderful emerald eyes, his embarrassing nod of goodbye. _All of it._ He was so humiliated by himself it was ridiculous.

 _Social anxiety_ , Hanji had chimed in his head, a mix of all their past conversations. _People find you scary because you want them too, Cookie Monster. It's a defense mechanism._

 _You should've majored in psychology, idiot,_ Levi always replied, even in his head.

Now, he stood outside the door, palms sweating. Eren must've caught on by now, right? Levi wasn't exactly subtle with his wandering eyes, or how much he enjoyed what little interact they shared in his lonely, pathetic life. Right? He hoped that Eren was dense, it would make his life easier in the short run. In the long run, it'd make it all the more difficult for him to confess, if he ever did, because he'd have to spell it out for him.

_He's probably dense, life forever making itself harder for me._

He went to the back straight away, trying to make the bell that always announced his arrival ring as short as possible. Eren always winced when it did.

His fingers trailed the bindings of the few books he hadn't read in the small shelf that wasn't religious or somewhat hateful to some group of minority. It was laughable, since the small shelf present could be a symbol of a minority.

He made a small affirmative sound when he saw a new arrival. In his shelf. He tried to stop himself from being surprised, but he was. He didn't think that the library would expand their LGBTQ+ section, but he was glad they did. He now had another reason to come back here, that didn't look downright stalker-ish.

A small tap on his shoulder made him jump. He cursed, since he always made himself aware of all his surroundings, just in case. Turning to see who it was, a choked gasp almost left his throat when he saw it was Eren. Then, his heart joined his smothered gasp at the bottom of his throat, beating away insistently.

"Need help finding anything?" Eren asked, his voice deep, in a way, but shallow, if that made sense. Levi observed that he probably had a good vocal range... _Levi, don't think about that_.

"Ah, no. I'm fine." Dammit, fuck, he should've said yes! He'd have more time to acquaint himself to Eren's presence, so he wouldn't be so nervous all the time.

Eren just smiled softly, and Levi was pretty sure his face was as red as a fire truck. Levi always flushed when he talked to people he didn't really know, but he always kept his face neutral and unreadable. And intimidating, that was also a defense.

"Oh, you found the new arrival!"

He was gesturing to the book that Levi didn't remember picking up.

"I hope you like it!"

"Yeah, thanks." He didn't sound grateful at all! He had this habit of sounding as disinterested as possible, and at a time like this, it was really backfiring on his ass.

Eren's posture wilted a bit, before his shoulders squared again, and Levi was reminded of how much taller Eren was and how he seemed to think it was really hot.

"How's Hanji? They seem like a good friend of yours."

Of course Eren had to be here when Hanji had went in his stead.

"They're fine, nagging me about this and that. And they are on another project of their's, so they can't micromanage me at the moment." He grumbled, getting into the ease of things. And he was better at complaining about Hanji than talking about himself to the guy who he had the hots for. He also didn't mention that their new project was helping him get into Eren's heart as well as his pants.

"You seem to care about them a lot."

"I guess so, if keeping them in line is a form of caring."

Eren laughed to himself, "You sound like someone I know."

"Yeah? Than I guess that person has to look after a lot of people."

"Mikasa? Yeah, my sis had to look after us our whole lives." His _sister_. Levi reminded him of his sister, how humiliating.

"Hanji could survive on their own, but they'd smell... Bad." Levi felt himself wrinkle his nose at the thought. What he wouldn't mention is that the lack of hygiene was because Hanji was an immensely hard worker and couldn't do anything else until they had proven their hypothesis or finished their term paper with perfection. Not healthy, but admirable.

"I wanted to thank you, too." Eren said, with a shy smile. He didn't know Eren could be shy, but he guessed that proved he didn't know much about the brunet. Levi wanted to change that, badly.

"For what? I didn't do anything in particular."

Eren looked around in contemplation, humming. He looked pleasantly pink, it barely showing with his tan skin. "Well, I didn't really ever read those LGBTQ+ books, and probably wouldn't have if it weren't for you."

Levi was stumped. "What do you mean, that makes no sense."

"Well, when I saw your notes, and your determination, I realized I shouldn't be so ignorant, being the part of the community myself. And I also have two siblings that I could start to understand better."

Eren was playing with his hands in front of him, his early determination not waning, but evolving into something new. He looked hesitant, but he was still putting himself out there, probably using his break to talk the Levi, and Levi's chest began to warm steadily. One reason being that he forgot to throw away his damned notes causing the brunet to see them, and two, he was embarrassed by Eren's embarrassment.

"No problem, Eren." Levi didn't miss Eren's shiver, satisfaction bringing a bit more confidence.

"Say, Eren, did it hurt?"

Eren looked at him, confused.

"Huh...?"

"When you fell from heaven?"

Levi expected silence while what he said sunk in, or maybe a laugh, but what he saw was surprising. Eren was looking at him, wide-eyed, his blush crawling across his face, expanding its territory. It then conquered his neck.

 _A full body blush, not bad_.

"That was so lame, Levi!" Eren chuckled, playing with his already messy brown hair. "So I guess that means you're not straight if you're hitting on me?"

"I don't know where you got that from." He deadpanned. Eren froze mid scratch.

"..."

"That was a joke." Maybe he should have changed the tone of his voice? He always sounded bored, sarcastic, or annoyed, but that was something he taught himself so he'd never sound nervous or unsure. At least he didn't sound annoyed?

"You're weird," he huffed. "But I guess weird is my type."

"So that was a success?"

"What would you call successful?"

Levi pretended to think for a second, hands shaking with nerves. So far, so good. "That I reeled you in with my horribly practiced pick-up line?"

Eren sniffed, "I guess you can't reel someone in when they were perfectly willing to be caught."

"Now who's the weird one?"

They flirted back and forth for maybe fifteen more minutes, having to lean into each other for their library voices to be heard. Before their conversation was over and Levi was socially drained, a girl with a brown pony tail summoned Eren, telling him that he better hurry if he still wants his break, winking as she turned away.

Levi felt that bitter feeling of wanting to hide again, but it was edged with satisfaction. He'd managed to get a date with Eren some time during their conversation, and he hadn't become a stuttering mess more than once. He counted that as a victory, and he was fine with going back into his shell with that knowledge, for now.

______________

"Mx. Zoe, are you sure this is a good idea?" Armin played with the cuffs of his sleeves, damp from his nervous chewing.

"Of course, my little genius! Levi might look gruff and slightly threatening with his face stuck in the expression it is, but he really likes Eren! Don't you wanna see the fruits of your labor and see how your brother fares?"

The blond pulled his sleeves down, his fingers now peeking out. He tried to force himself to sit straight, the protest of his lungs reminding him he needed a deep breath, but he stayed in his slumped position behind the tree.

"Well, yes, but, this is their first date. I figured that they'd want privacy, not us lurking across the street."

Hanji was the one to suggest this plan. They had approached him a few weeks earlier, about his brother, telling him of their less than social friend. Armin wasn't stupid, he knew that Eren was crushing on someone. He also knew he wouldn't do anything about it first without a push. Hanji had offered this as an "extra credit experiment" which sounded slightly inappropriate if you asked him, since he didn't need any help in the science class where they were a student teacher.

This was his last assignment, the big finale, and he was pretty sure they were sitting near an ant hill under this big oak tree. Great.

Shifting on his crouched knees, unsteady, Armin leaned next to Hanji's shoulder. They had binoculars, which seemed way too extreme to the smaller male, but it was Hanji for you. When it came to people they cared about, they seemed to tend to get a bit... obsessive. Like they do with their experiments. Not too comforting when you're Levi.

They were going to the... library for their first date? Seemed pretty anticlimactic, considering the mutual pining those two went through. Though, if you thought of it, they did meet at said library. Armin simply thought that if they were going to go to a library, it'd be in the city or somewhere away from judging eyes. Knowing Eren, he could see this as Eren's big "fuck you" to the town itself. The blond was fine with it as long as Eren didn't get fired.

Hanji was still looking through the binoculars minutes after they went inside, before shrieking and dropping them. 

Yup, there were ants after all.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hoped you liked it. The ending is open ended tbh, cuz I was trying to fit too many things in this one shot. So, I might add a few chapters later on in the year if that's where inspiration hits me. Either way, please feel free to leave a comment (I'm always a slut for comments).
> 
> My tumblr is [eccentric-stardust.](eccentrick-stardust.tumblr.com) It's a mess there, shared between two people, but there are more drabbles there that aren't on here! :)


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